Escape
by ImagxIxnatioN
Summary: One of the WWE's most popular Divas is in an abusive relationship. She fears what he can do to her, so she stays with him. But there is one certain blonde, Canadian Superstar that has strong feelings for her...that will do anything he can to help her.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I own anyone in this story that you may not recognize. Everyone from the WWE owns themselves!  
  
Authors Note: Hey all! I hope you all enjoy this story! Remember to review! -Diva  
  
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Chapter One  
  
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Sighing, the blonde woman slid the key card into the reader on her door. As quietly as she could, she slipped into the room, hoping it was empty. Relief washed over her as she looked around, not seeing her usual roomate. Smiling, she walked over to her bed and sat down, taking her shoes off.  
  
"You're late. Very, very late." She heard a deep voice behind her. She froze, slowy turning around. There he stood, arms crossed over his muscular chest.  
  
"I-I know." She stuttered. "I'm so sorry, I was just out with Amy and Lisa Marie, and we got caught up, and..." She was cut off abruptly as he approached her, roughly taking her face in one of his hands.  
  
"I've told you before that I don't want you hanging around with Amy." He growled, squeezing harder. "And yet you see her anyways." He let go of her face.  
  
"I'm sorry..." She started again, but before she could finish this time, he reached a strong hand back, slapping her cheek. Her head jerked to the side, and immediately, one of her petite hands cupped her stinging cheek. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and her brown eyes were wide in shock. After a moment, she turned to face him again. He was standing there as if nothing had happened.   
  
"I won't do it again." She said softly. An angry red mark was forming on her cheek, and she knew that there would be a bruise there in the morning. He nodded, and slid into the bed beside her. She stood up and grabbed her pajamas, the extremely short silk shorts and thin silk tank top he made her wear, and changed, before getting back into bed.   
  
"Night, baby." He said, kissing her cheek as she slid underneath the sheets. He reached over and turned the light off, and she turned on her side.  
  
Just before falling asleep, a single tear slipped down Stacy Keibler's cheek.  
  
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Upon looking in the mirror the next morning, Stacy indeed noticed a large, purple bruise covering part of her cheek. She touched it, wincing slightly as her manicured fingers traced a soft trail on the mark. After looking in the mirror for a moment more, she heard Andrew's alarm clock go off. Quickly, she started her shower and was out about ten minutes later. Andrew was sitting on their bed when she walked out of the steamy bathroom, wearing a short blue-jean skirt and a red halter top. She blow-dried her long, blonde hair and put her makeup on while Andrew took his shower. She made sure to put a little extra foundation on her cheek to cover up the bruise perfectly. As soon as Andrew emerged from the bathroom, the pair left for the arena. The ride in the rental car over was filled with an uncomfortable silence that made Stacy uneasy. Luckily for her, they arrived at the arena about ten minutes later.  
  
"I expect you to be on time tonight." Andrew said, looking at her intently. She looked back at him, her eyes wide, and nodded.  
  
"Yes Andrew." She replied, glancing down. He smirked and locked the rental car before walking into the building. Stacy stayed at the car for a moment, composing herself before she went inside.  
  
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Adam rolled his eyes as Andrew entered the men's locker room later that night, a smug smile on his face. The blonde man had never been a fan of Andrew - especially since he started dating Stacy Keibler.  
  
'Stacy...' Adam said to himself as his thoughts drifted. The long blonde hair, large doe-like brown eyes, flawless face...she was absolutely gorgeous. But her looks were nothing compared to her personality...she had a personality like no one Adam had ever met before. She was so bubbly and optomistic, and she always had a nice thing to say to everyone. Every time she smiled at him, he couldn't help but melt inside.   
  
"Yo, Adam, you alive in there man?" The voice of Shane Helms snapped him out of his thoughts. He blinked and looked up at the green-haired man. He was in his Hurricane costume, minus the mask.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm good." He said, standing up. He was already in his tights as well. He checked his watch once before taking it off, realizing that it was five minutes until show time. He gave one final glance to Andrew before following Shane out of the room.   
  
"Our match is second tonight, right?" He asked him as he caught up with him halfway down the hallway.  
  
"Yep, against Test and Steiner." Shane replied as they walked into catering. Adam grabbed a bottle of water and sat down at a table, sipping on it. A few minutes later, the doors opened again. Stacy and Amy walked in, with Amy chatting animatedly about something. His breath caught in his throat. Stacy looked beautiful, as she usually did, in a red halter top, blue jean skirt, and strappy heels. Her blonde hair was in soft ringlets around her face. He noticed that she wasn't smiling as much as she normally did.  
  
"Alright guys, two minutes." A stagehand said, approaching Adam and Shane. Adam nodded and capped his water before standing up and walking to the gorilla position.   
  
"Hey, Adam!" He heard Amy say as she approached the two. "Ready?" She grinned. Adam raised an eyebrow in her direction.  
  
"Yep, sure am..." He trailed off. Just as he said that, his music boomed. He heard Lillian say his name, and he ran out onto the ramp. The fans went crazy, mostly the females, screaming at the top of their lungs. Shane came in right behind him, suprisingly with Amy at his side. All three of them got into the ring as Test's music hit. Adam looked at Amy with a confused expression.   
  
'Vince changed it at the last minute.' She mouthed to him. He nodded and turned his head back to the ramp, where Scott Steiner was making his way down. When he was about halfway down, Stacy came out, her usual bright smile on her face. The screaming grew louder as she swung one leg over the second rope and seductivly bent over as she got inside of the ring. When she looked up Adam caught her eyes with his own. He smiled slightly, almost shyly, as she walked to a turnbuckle opposite of him. He didn't even hear the bell ring and was caught off guard as Test elbowed him in the stomach.   
  
"I saw you looking at Stacy again." He growled in Adam's ear as they locked up in the middle of the ring. "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Stay away from her. Don't even look at her." Adam rolled his eyes and managed to get out of his grip long enough to grab his arm, wrenching it and putting pressure on his shoulder. He cried out in pain and Adam bent down close to him.  
  
"I'll look at who I damn well want to." Adam told him before dropping an elbow onto his arm and tagging Shane in. Test managed to tag in Steiner before Shane got to him, and Shane got a pretty bad beating from him. Steiner covered him, but right as the ref got to two, Amy rushed in and kicked Steiner hard in the back. She helped Shane up and Shane tagged her in while Steiner tagged Stacy in. The two women wrestled for a few minutes before Amy did a Twist of Fate on Stacy and covered her for the one-two-three. Both Adam and Shane got into the ring, and Amy held their hands high as she stood between them. They got out of the ring with Stacy still laying in it. Test and Steiner were throwing insults their way before Test finally picked Stacy up and carried her back to the gorilla position. He dropped her roughly once they were off cameras and shot her a nasty glare as she looked at him. Adam noticed fear in her wide eyes. She ran her hands over her face before standing up, and that mixed with the tiny bit of sweat on her face made a tiny bit of her makeup come off.   
  
Adam looked closely, and knew he saw a shade of purple on her cheek as she walked off to the women's locker room.  
  
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	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill. :-)  
  
A/N: Just to clear anything up, Edge, a.k.a. Adam Copeland, was never out with the neck injury in this story, and Jeff Hardy is still with the WWE.  
  
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Chapter Two  
  
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Stacy began to look more and more worn down over the next few days. Dark bags appeared under her chocolatey eyes and though the bruise on her cheek had finally started to fade, Andrew had added more to the collection. The leggy blonde made her way into the arena a few steps behind Andrew, walking carefully as to not bump into anything. She now had dark, painful looking bruises on her upper left thigh and though she couldn't see it on the outside, she figured at least one of her ribs were bruised. Today she was dressed in tight blue jeans and a midriff baring white top. She had made sure that there were no bruises on her stomach or lower back before choosing this shirt.  
  
"Stace? Are you okay?" She heard the concerned voice of Lisa Marie Varon, known in the ring as Victoria, ask her. She shook her head slightly and looked at her. Stacy hadn't even realized that she had walked all the way throughout the arena and into the woman's locker room.  
  
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She said, forcing a smile. "I guess I was just spacing out." Lisa Marie gave her a questioning look, but nodded.  
  
"Alright." She said before walking back over to where her gym bag was. Stacy shook her head once more before walking over to one of the benches and sitting down. She was sitting down for less than a minute when Torrie Wilson came over and sat down next to her, smiling.  
  
"Hey!" She said in her bubbly voice. "Vince told me to tell you that tonight's match has been changed. We're going to have a women's fatal four-way tonight instead. Me, you, Nidia, and Lisa Marie." Stacy cringed, and hoped Torrie didn't notice. It didn't seem as though she did, since she began talking about her outfit for the night. Stacy spaced again though, thinking about how sore she was going to be tonight.  
  
"When is the match?" She interrupted.  
  
"First." Torrie said, checking her watch. "Oh, I better go get ready, we only have half an hour." Torrie said before standing up. With a wave, she was off to gather her costume and fix her makeup. Stacy figured that she might want to get into something more comfortable for the match, so she went to the seamstress. The seamstress was an older woman named Amber. She enjoyed the company of the wrestlers when she was fitting them or altering costumes. Stacy thought she was very kind, and knew she'd have something laying around in her size.  
  
"Amber?" She said, softly rapping on the door. Amber got a small room at every arena to store the costumes and alter them if needed. She heard footsteps behind the door and was soon greeted with Amber's smiling face.  
  
"Why, hello Stacy dear!" Amber said, stepping aside so that Stacy could come in the room.   
  
"Hey Amber." Stacy smiled. "I was wondering if you had any costumes laying around in my size? Just a pair of black pants and a shirt kind of like the ones Trish or Molly wear would be fine."  
  
"Let me check." Amber said before beginning to rummage through boxes. She pulled out a pair of plain black pants and a tight, light pink halter top.   
  
"These should fit." She said, handing Stacy the clothes.   
  
"Thanks hun, I gotta run though. My match is first tonight." Stacy said. She gave Amber a polite wave before walking out of the room. She returned to the woman's locker room and walked into the individual shower stalls that were inside of it. She pulled her jeans off and looked down at the bruise on her hip. It was large and dark purple. Shaking her head, she slid on the black pants and pink halter top before walking back into the main part of the locker room. She touched up her makeup and hair, and before she knew it, a stagehand was telling her it was time for her match. She took a deep breath and walked to the gorilla position, waiting for her music to hit. Finally it did, and she walked to the ring. She was the last Diva to enter the ring. The bell rang, and Nidia and Lisa Marie locked up. Torrie charged at Stacy, but she ducked out of the way, and Torrie hit the turnbuckle. The match went on for a while longer before Lisa Marie hit a Widow's Peak on Nidia. Nidia fell to the mat, not moving. Torrie had been lying on the floor since Nidia had knocked her to the outside with a baseball slide. Stacy and Lisa Marie locked up, and Lisa Marie threw Stacy to the mat. She landed on her hip and curled up, clutching it with her eyes squeezed shut. Lisa Marie climbed a turnbuckle without Stacy noticing, and when she finally stood back up, she was hit with a crossbody. Lisa Marie then covered her for the one-two-three. The fans went wild for her as she walked out of the ring triumphantly. Stacy got up and limped to the back after a few moments.   
  
"Great match, Stace." Lisa Marie said with a smile. Stacy returned the smile halfheartedly and continued to walk back to the woman's locker room.  
  
"Stacy?" She heard a voice behind her. She saw that it was Adam. He was in his wrestling gear.  
  
"Hey Adam." She said softly with a smile.  
  
"I saw that bump you took out there...it looked like it hurt." He said.  
  
"Yeah..." Stacy said, glancing down. She was dreading going back to the hotel tonight...she was dreading being alone with Andrew again.   
  
"Stace..." He said, approaching her. He reached out, gently tilting her head up. He noticed her flinch slightly as he touched her. "Is something going on?" Stacy shook her head nervously.  
  
"No, no, I just took a hard bump." She said. "I gotta go, Andrew wants to see me." She pushed his hand away and walked off. Adam looked after her as the leggy blonde walked off, still limping slightly. He knew that something wasn't right, and he knew that it had to do with Andrew.  
  
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"Hey man." Adam said to one of his best friends, Chris Irvine, as he saw him walking down the hallway.  
  
"Whats up?" Chris said. He must've noticed the concerned look on Adam's face.  
  
"Something's going on with Stacy. She won't tell me what, but she's been acting so skittish lately. I was talking to her just a few minutes ago, and I touched her - you know, just touched her face, a friendly gesture - and she flinched. She's not been herself. After our match a few nights ago - Me, Shane, and Amy against Andrew, Scott, and Stace, I saw this huge bruise on her cheek. He's hitting her, man, I know he is." Chris could tell that Adam was getting angry talking about Andrew and what he was doing to Stacy. His tone was becoming increasingly sharp by the time he was finishing telling Chris his story.  
  
"Well...what can you do?" Chris asked. "I don't really know of anything...I mean, you've already tried to talk to Stace about it, she wouldn't tell you anything. It'll piss Andrew off if you try to talk to him...same with Vince, especially since you don't have any proof."  
  
"But I do have proof!" Adam replied, practically yelling. "Look at Stacy! Look at the bruises! You can see fear in her eyes!"   
  
"Adam, she could just as easily tell Vince or anyone else that it's injuries from the ring." Chris said, being realistic.   
  
Adam sighed and rubbed a hand over his tired face. "I have to help her, Chris. I have to." Adam said desperately.  
  
"I guess your only option is to try to talk to Stacy about it again." Chris said.  
  
"Yeah...I just need to get her alone for a while. Make her see that she can trust me, just like she used to."  
  
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Meanwhile...  
  
"Dammit Stacy, come on!" Andrew said angrily, pounding on the ladies' room door. Stacy stared at the door, silent tears pouring down her cheeks. "You're only making this worse for yourself..." He growled.  
  
"Please, God..." She whispered, bringing her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs, making herself a tiny, shaking ball. "Help me, God. I need you...I need you so much right now...I'm so afraid Andrew is going to kill me." She squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she prayed. "Please help me..."  
  
"STACY! Open the damn door now!" Andrew yelled. He pounded on the door harder. Stacy sniffled and wiped the tears on her face away. Nervously, she opened the door, looking up into Andrew's angry face. He reached forward and grabbed her upper arm roughly.  
  
"You're in for it when we get back to the hotel." He growled in her ear. She moved forward, trying to loosen Andrew's grip on her arm.  
  
"Andrew, stop it, let go, you're hurting me!" Stacy cried, jerking her arm towards her. Andrew just tightened his grip more. He dragged her out to the parking lot and located their rental car. He opened the passenger door and roughly shoved her inside of it before slamming her door shut. He then got into the driver's side, started the car, and drove off.  
  
Adam glared off into the night as he watched the car drive away.  
  
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A/N: Hey all! How do you like it so far? This story isn't going to be that long - probably only about ten or fifteen chapters - so all of this is building up quick! Review and tell me what you think of it! -Diva 


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: It's in chapter one - but come on, yall know the drill! :-)  
  
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Chapter Three  
  
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Andrew and Stacy arrived at the hotel about fifteen minutes later. Andrew didn't touch her as they silently walked to their hotel room. Andrew was about a foot and a half in front of her, and Stacy was walking with her head down.   
  
"Stacy..." The blonde stopped in her tracks and spoke without turning her head.  
  
"Hi Adam." She spoke softly, her head still hung low. He walked up to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her around to face him.  
  
"Please Stacy, please, just listen to me." He said, not taking his eyes off of her tired face. Stacy looked up and met his green eyes with her brown ones and felt a spark. "You can trust me. I swear, I would never hurt you. I just want to help you, to be here for you." He ran his hands down her arms.  
  
"Adam, I-" She started, but was cut off.  
  
"Stacy, come on." Andrew said. He grabbed her wrist and shot Adam a glare, before walking quickly to the elevators with Stacy walking quickly behind him. As he pressed the button for the 'up' elevator, Stacy looked towards Adam. He was staring after her.  
  
He could see fear in her eyes of what was soon to come.  
  
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Adam slowly made his way to his room, which was just a few doors down from Stacy and Andrew's. He was supposed to be sharing it with Chris - but, unsurprisingly - he'd gone to Stephanie McMahon's room, as he normally did. Adam expected him to be back around one in the morning, if he came back that night at all. Adam slid his key card through the reader on the door and walked into his dark room. He could see Chris's open suitcase at the foot of the first bed in the room, and his was sitting, still zipped, at the foot of the second. His laptop case was sitting on his bed. He sighed. Stacy was still on his mind. Hell, Stacy was always on his mind. It made him so angry to think of all of the things Andrew was doing to her...verbally abusing her...beating her...knowing Andrew, he was probably raping her, too.  
  
"Dammit!" Adam growled, punching the wall in front of him. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so enraged. He didn't even notice that his knuckles had begun to bleed. He sat down on his bed and held his head in his hands.  
  
"I will talk to her tomorrow. I'll make her see that she can trust me." Adam said to himself.  
  
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"Andrew, stop!" Stacy said in a whisper, backing up to the wall. After Andrew had locked Stacy in their room, he had gone to the hotel bar. Stacy could smell the whiskey on his breath when he came back to their room an hour later. He reeked of it.  
  
"Shut your fucking mouth, you dirty slut." Andrew slurred as he reached up, the back of his hand connecting with her cheek hard. Stacy lost her balance and fell into the wall behind her. Andrew grabbed her roughly around the waist and jerked her to him. He forced his lips onto her - hard. She could taste the alcohol on his breath. She tried to push herself away from him, but her petite frame was no match for his muscular one. She whimpered against his lips as he jerked her towards the bed. She could feel his swollen member against her leg through his pants. Andrew shoved her onto the bed and took his shirt off before climbing on top of the blonde. She raised her small fists and began to beat on his chest, trying with all of her might to get him off of her. He just laughed in his drunken amusement and forced her shirt and bra off of her. Her arms immediately snapped to her chest, covering her exposed breasts. Andrew grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her sides as he roughly kissed her again. He worked her out of her pants and panties, and somehow in the midst of this had gotten out of his pants and boxers as well. Without a word - and without a condom - he forced himself inside of her. Stacy screamed out in pain as he forcefully raped her. She began to sob loudly, and Andrew just moaned, as if he didn't even hear her.  
  
"Help me!" Stacy screamed at the top of her lungs as he quickened his pace. "Please! Someone, help me!!"  
  
"There...is no one...to help...you." Andrew panted as he finished and pulled out of her.  
  
At least, Andrew thought there was no one to help her.  
  
Adam, though, could hear Stacy's shrill cries from his room. He was only two, maybe three rooms away from her. He immediately exited his room.  
  
'I'll kill him.' He thought as he approached Stacy and Andrew's room in a rage. He began pouding loudly on the door.  
  
"Open the door now, Andrew! Open the fucking door!" He yelled, continuing to pound on the door. Stacy was curled up on the bed, a sheet wrapped around her, silent tears flowing down her face. Andrew had slipped his boxers on and Stacy could tell he was about to pass out from the sex and all of the alcohol in his system.  
  
"What the hell do you want?" Andrew called in a slurred voice.  
  
"Open the door. Now." Adam replied in a deathly calm voice. Andrew rolled his eyes and stumbled to the door, unlocking and opening it.  
  
"What?" He snapped, seeing Adam. Without a word, Adam reached back and punched Andrew in the face as hard as he could. Andrew's eyes rolled back into his head as he fell to the floor, knocked out cold. Adam nudged him so that he could close the door on the way out and hurried to Stacy.  
  
"Stace...oh God, Stacy..." He said, seeing the state she was in. The beautiful girl was curled in a fetal position, wrapped in a thin white sheet. He could see rows upon rows of tear stains on her cheeks. She was stairing straight ahead.  
  
"He..." She started, her voice cracking. "He raped me! He raped me, Adam!" The last part came out a whisper before she began to silently sob. Adam froze.   
  
"Oh, Stacy..." He gently said before reaching down and picking the petite blonde up. She immediately threw her arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder, as he carried her out of the room. The door closed behind him as he carried the sobbing Diva back to his room. He locked the door as soon as they got inside, then carried Stacy over to his bed, laying her down gently. Her tears had finally subsided, and she looked at him with such pain in her eyes.  
  
"He's been hitting me, Adam. He's hit me, he's abused me in any way that he can. He's going to kill me, Adam." Shaking his head, Adam sat down on the floor so that he was eye-level with her.  
  
"No, Stacy, he's not. I won't let him. You're staying with me from now on. Chris is going to have to stay with Jay, or Stephanie, or someone else, but from now on, I am never, ever letting you leave my sight. I hate seeing you like this, Stace. It's breaking my heart. You don't know how bad I want to go back to that hotel room right now and murder Andrew. He is the lowest scum on this earth to turn this beautiful, smart, bubbly, funny, amazing girl into one filled with fear and dread and emptiness. You don't deserve that, Stacy. You deserve so much more." Adam told her, his voice full of sincerity as he took her hand in his gently.  
  
"Why are you doing this, Adam?" She asked. He could hint hope in her voice, and figured Andrew must have been doing this much longer than he thought. He was slowly destroying this woman from the inside out. "Why do you care so much?"  
  
"Because I care about you, Stacy. I always have." He whispered. She looked at him, and for the first time in weeks, he saw an actual smile on her face.  
  
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Later that night, after he had found Stacy an oversized t-shirt and a pair of his old boxers, he went back into her room to gather her things. He had taken the key card off of the bedside table when he got her earlier. He slid the card through the reader and entered the room silently. Andrew was passed out in the bed. Adam rolled his eyes and went into the bathroom, gathering all of Stacy's things from in there. He then put everything that he knew was hers back into her suitcase and zipped it up. He threw the key card onto Andrew's sleeping figure and walked out of the room. Stacy was sitting up against the headboard, a pillow propped behind her back. She looked up at Adam as he walked back into the room, her suitcase in hand.   
  
"Adam, you don't have to do all of this for me." Stacy said softly. Adam smiled at her.  
  
"I know I don't have to. I want to." He said.   
  
'Yeah...and because I'm in love with you.' He thought to himself. Suddenly, the phone rang, snapping Adam out of his daze.  
  
"Hello?" He spoke into the reciever after picking it up.   
  
"Hey man, it's Chris. I'm staying in Stephanie's room tonight." He spoke. Adam could tell he was smiling.  
  
"That's cool. Chris, I need to talk to you about something. Do you think you could stay with Steph from now on? Stacy's gonna stay with me." He knew that Chris would figure the situation out.  
  
"Yeah man, that's fine."   
  
"Thanks so much. I'll see you tomorrow." Adam said before hanging up the phone. He looked over at Stacy and saw that she had fallen asleep. A long strand of her blonde hair had fallen into her face, and the light from the bedside lamp seemed to make her radiate - like an angel. With a smile, Adam slipped into the other bed and turned the light out. He was finally able to rest easy, knowing Stacy was right beside him.  
  
He knew she was safe.  
  
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	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer - Yall know the drill! :-)  
  
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Chapter Four  
  
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The next morning, Stacy awoke as a bright ray of sunlight hit her face. As soon as her eyes had opened, she was filled with dread, fearing that Adam rescuing her the previous night was just a dream. She felt no one in the bed beside her though, and when she looked to the other bed, she saw Adam's back, slowly moving up and down in rhythm with his breathing. She smiled, thanking God that Adam had saved her. She sat up and stretched, careful not to make much noise, because Adam had at least another hour that he could sleep. She stood up, intending to get her things from her suitcase and take a bath, when she saw that the white sheets of the bed were bloodstained. It wasn't much, but a small puddle of it had soaked into the white linens. Stacy's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She knew that she hadn't gotten her period - she had been regular for years, and had already had her period this month. Almost instantly, she remembered what Andrew had done to her the night before. The sick bastard had raped her, and without a condom.   
  
Stacy froze.  
  
He didn't use a condom.  
  
He didn't use a condom...and Stacy wasn't on birth control.  
  
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Adam awoke at about eleven that morning. He sat up and stretched, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He looked over at the other bed and saw that Stacy was gone. Her suitcase was open and the bathroom door was closed. Smiling, he waited for her to come out. It took about another half an hour, but finally, the bathroom door opened and Stacy stepped out, wearing a simple, light green t-shirt and blue jeans.  
  
"Morning." Adam said, smiling at her. She returned the smile.  
  
"Good morning." She replied.  
  
"Since we don't have to be at the arena until later this afternoon, would you like to join me for lunch?" Adam asked.   
  
"Sure, that would be nice." Stacy said.   
  
"Awesome. I'll just go take a quick shower and we can leave." Adam stood up and walked over to Stacy. All of a sudden, she had thrown her arms around her neck, hugging her closely to him. Adam's arms circled her slim waist, and he held her close to him gently.  
  
"Thank you for rescuing me." She whispered into his ear. He just closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. He had waited so long, so very long for this moment, for the love of his life to be in his arms, for him to be able to hold her. After a moment, they broke apart and Adam grabbed some clean clothes from his suitcase. He headed to the bathroom and closed the door, and as he was showering, Stacy dried her hair. She decided not to wear any makeup, unless she was needed on camera that night. Adam emerged from the bathroom about fifteen minutes later, wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans. His long, blonde hair was towel-dried and hanging down in the soft curls they normally were.  
  
"Ready to go?" He asked. She nodded. Adam smiled and grabbed his key card before walking out of the hotel room, Stacy right beside him.  
  
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"Honestly, I didn't wake up until halfway through the next class." Stacy laughed, retelling a story of how she once had fallen asleep during class and no one had woken her up. "I was so embarrassed." Adam laughed as well, his eyes connecting with hers. Her eyes were so bright - she was radiating happiness. Adam checked his watch as they finished the last of their lunch. He signaled the waiter for the check and took out his wallet.  
  
"Oh, Adam, at least let me pay half. You've done so much for me since last night, it's the least I can do." Adam just grinned and paid the entire check. Stacy just shot him a confused glance as they both stood up.  
  
"Stacy, I honestly want to do all of this for you." He said, taking a step closer to her. He brought a hand up to her face, gently running his fingers down her cheek. Stacy blushed slightly and smiled, looking down. "Come on, we have to get to the arena."  
  
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Four hours later, Stacy was safe in catering with Chris and Amy as Adam went to see Vince. He approached his door and knocked on it.   
  
"Come in." He heard Vince's deep voice call out. He twisted the knob and walked inside.  
  
"Adam, nice to see you." Vince said, looking up from his paperwork.  
  
"You too, Vince. I need to talk to you about something."  
  
"Alright, go for it." Vince capped the pen he was writing with and sat back in his high-backed leather chair.  
  
"You've been thinking about taking Stacy out of the storyline with Andrew and Scott, am I correct?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, we haven't been getting good raitings from them." Vince replied, nodding.  
  
"Have you considered any other storylines with her?" Adam sat down in the chair across from Vince as he spoke.  
  
"Yes, actually. Since Terri is no longer with the company, we have no backstage interviewers, and we've been thinking about giving Stacy the position. She's good on the mic and interacts with all of the wrestlers well." Vince said. Adam smiled.  
  
"That's an awesome idea Vince, Stacy will be great at that. Is it okay with you if I tell her?"  
  
"Sure, be my guest. She starts her on-camera work next week." Vince replied, nodding. Adam stood up.  
  
"Thank you, sir." He said before walking out of the office. He hurried down the corridors and found Stacy still in catering with Chris and Amy.  
  
"Stace! Can you come here for a second? I need to tell you something." Adam said, looking at the Diva.  
  
"Oh - sure." Stacy said, standing up. Adam took her hand and they walked to a secluded hallway. Stacy turned towards Adam and Adam took both of her hands in his, holding them gently as he looked at her. She noticed a sparkle in his eyes.  
  
"Stacy...you're out of the storyline with Andrew and Scott. Vince wants you to take over the backstage interviewing, like Terri did. You're free." He whispered, smiling. Stacy looked at him, her brown eyes shining.  
  
"Are you serious?" She asked. Adam nodded. "Oh, Adam!" She cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much, you have done so much for me...how can I ever repay you?"  
  
Adam looked at her, his eyes traveling over her beautiful face. "Just keep being you. Keep being this beautiful, amazing woman. Keep being this woman I love." His voice came out barely above a whisper, though he didn't mean for it to. He reached one of his hands up, cupping her face in it. She looked at him, absolutely awe-struck. Ever so carefully, Adam leaned in, inching closer to her. Just before his lips met hers, his eyes searced hers for approval. She nodded slightly and closed her eyes. Adam followed the suit and pressed his lips to hers gently, romantically. Her arms circled his neck, and he held her close to him by her waist with his free arm. His other hand was still cupping her face as they slowly broke the kiss. Stacy opened her eyes and gazed into Adam's.  
  
"Adam..." She said, looking down. "I need to tell you something...I should just get it out in case you change your mind." Stacy said.  
  
"Alright, go for it." Adam replied, holding her close to him.  
  
"Adam, I care a lot about you. Really, I do. And I know that you care a lot about me too...but...I'm just not ready to say the 'L' word yet. Not...this soon." Stacy said. She sighed, figuring that he would want to find a woman who could return all of his love fully.  
  
"Oh, honey." Adam said, hugging her to him. "There's no pressure in you saying it back. Tell me whenever you're ready, if you ever are." Adam told her.  
  
"I know that I will be someday...hopefully someday soon. Just...not so soon after everything I went through with Andrew." Stacy said. "But please believe me when I say that I do care a lot about you Adam, and I want to be with you."  
  
"Of course I believe you." He smiled. She returned the smile and moved in for another kiss, which she returned eagerly.  
  
All the while, Andrew was watching from around a corner.  
  
----------  
  
-Two Months Later-  
  
Stacy nervously awaited the results of the test at the doctor's office. Adam was sitting beside her, holding her hand in his as she nervously shook her leg. She was dressed very professionally, in a black pantsuit with a blue silk shirt underneath the fitted jacket. She had told Adam of her fears a few days after they had started dating, almost expecting him to break up with her because of it. It was hard for her to learn that most men weren't like Andrew - especially Adam. He was as supportive as ever, and was helping her get through everthing so much faster than she ever expected to.  
  
"Stacy Keibler." A nurse called out, Stacy's chart in her hand. Stacy and Adam both stood up and followed the nurse to a small examination room.  
  
"The doctor will be with you shortly." The nurse said, laying Stacy's chart on the counter in the room. She and Adam sat in silence, Adam holding onto his girlfriend comfortingly as they waited on the doctor. He walked into the room a few minutes later.  
  
"Hello again Ms. Keibler." Dr. Richmond said, smiling at the couple. "Mr. Copeland."  
  
"Hello Dr. Richmond." Stacy replied, returning his smile.  
  
"Well, I say we get straight to the news, since this is what you're here for." Dr. Richmond said, picking her chart up. He looked over it, nodding  
  
"Ms. Keibler, your tests came back positive. You're pregnant."  
  
Stacy froze for a moment in thought. This baby was Andrew's...true...but...it was a baby...her baby...growing inside of her. The baby she and Adam would raise together. She felt tears beneath her eyelids and looked at Adam.  
  
"Adam..." She whispered, looking into his eyes. "We're having a baby." She smiled. Adam returned the smile as Stacy let out a gleeful laugh, the tears in her eyes spilling over and trailing down her cheeks.   
  
"We're having a baby..." He replied. "Our baby." He placed a hand on her still-flat stomach.  
  
"Thank you, Doctor." Stacy said, standning up. Adam stood up too and slipped his arms around her waist as he stood behind her. Dr. Richmond smiled.  
  
"I'll make you an appointment for next month. You'll be able to get your first ultrasound then. Until then, I want you to take these prenatal vitamins - once a day - and stay on a healthy diet. As you know, no drinking, no smoking, no drugs." He said, handing her a bottle of vitamins.  
  
"Of course, Doctor." Stacy said, nodding. "Have a nice day." She smiled as she and Adam walked out of the room. They silently made their way out of the clinic, hand in hand. Once they were outside, Stacy and Adam both stopped and turned towards each other.  
  
"We're having a baby!" Stacy yelled in complete happiness. Adam laughed and picked her up, spinning her around once. Once he put her down, he ran a hand through her hair as he looked into her eyes.  
  
"I love you so much, Stacy." He said. She smiled and nodded. He knew that she still wasn't ready, but still he didn't push her or become impatient. He smiled, leaning forward and kissing her gently. She returned the kiss just as gently, and he hugged her to him tightly once the kiss was broken.  
  
'I love you too.' She said in her mind. She just couldn't yet voice it.  
  
----------  
  
Later that week, the two were on the road again. Stacy had moved in with Adam after they found out the news of her pregnancy. So far, they had told only their closest friends.  
  
"Night Stace, night Adam!" Stephanie said as she and Chris walked off towards their hotel room. Stacy and Adam smiled and waved as Adam unlocked the door to their own and the two of them walked in. They changed into their pajamas and got into bed. Adam flipped on the TV as Stacy snuggled close to him. He placed a kiss on her forehead. They had just gotten settled in when the phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" Stacy spoke into it as she picked up the reciever.  
  
"Is this a Ms. Stacy Keibler?" Said a woman's voice on the other end.  
  
"Yes, may I help you?" Stacy asked, sitting up. Adam gave her a questioning look and she shrugged.  
  
"You have a message in the front lobby, and it was said to be urgent, ma'am." The woman said.   
  
"Oh, alright. I'll be right down." Stacy said, hanging the phone up.  
  
"I'll be right back." She told Adam, giving him a quick kiss. "I have a message in the front lobby."  
  
"Alright." Adam said, turning his attention back to the television as Stacy grabbed the key, slid on a pair of flip-flops, and left the room. When she arrived at the lobby, she didn't see anyone at the counter. She walked to the desk with confusion written on her face.  
  
"Hello?" She said, ringing the provided bell. Before she even knew what was happening, she felt strong arms circle her waist and jerk her away from the counter and out the front door. Looking back, she saw her worst fear.  
  
"Andrew!" She gasped. He took her outside between their hotel and the one next to them. It was a dark, alleyway type of space.  
  
"You bitch." He hissed, slapping her. "You cheating whore. I knew you'd try to run off with Copeland. Well, let me tell you sweetheart. It's not going to work. You are going to pay." He glared at her before throwing her against the brick wall. She cried out in pain as he proceeded to beat her senseless. Before long, her vision faded to black.  
  
----------  
  
Adam was beginning to get worried. Stacy had been gone nearly thirty minutes now - at first, he figured that one of her friends had been in the lobby and they had started up a conversation. Now, though, he was getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He stood up, about to leave to look for her, when his cell phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" He answered in a rushed voice.  
  
"Hello, is this a Mr. Adam Copeland?" Said a voice on the other end.  
  
"Yes." Adam replied.  
  
"Mr. Copeland, this is the Chicago General Hospital. We have a patient that has just been admitted - Ms. Stacy Keibler."  
  
Adam felt as if his heart had stopped in his chest.  
  
"I-is she okay?" Adam stuttered, fear obvious in his voice.  
  
"Sir...we don't know yet. You might want to come down to the hospital." Without so much as another word, Adam shut his phone off and rushed to the hospital.  
  
---------- 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Same as always! :-)  
  
----------  
  
Chapter Five  
  
----------  
  
"Where is Stacy Keibler?" Adam said in a rushed voice as he rushed into the emergency room.  
  
"Are you Adam Copeland?" A nurse said, walking up to him.  
  
"Yes. Where's Stacy?" Adam's voice cracked.  
  
"Follow me." The nurse said, turning and walking towards a crowded hallway. Adam followed her, a million thoughts running through his head. He followed the nurse into an elevator, where she hit the number four button.  
  
'What could of happened to her?' He thought as the elevator slowly climed up the three floors. A ding sounded through the small space.  
  
"Stacy has been brought in because of domestic violence." The nurse said. "A woman in the hotel opposite of your and Ms. Keibler called 911 when she saw Ms. Keibler being dragged from the front of the hotel to the small area between the two hotels. She continued to watch as the man repeatedly hit Stacy in the face, chest, and stomach, and also when he threw her into the wall of your hotel."  
  
"Oh my God..." Adam trailed off, his eyes filling with tears.  
  
"The doctors have been monitering her carefully since she was admitted. There seems to be a problem, though. Now, Stacy was pregnant, am I correct?" The nurse asked, checking her chart.  
  
"Yes...oh...oh no...the baby...did she...?" He stuttered. He looked down, noticing that his hands had begun to shake violently.  
  
"She hasn't miscarried...yet." The nurse said. "There is a chance that she will, though. A very high chance. Stacy was struck hard multiple times in the stomach, and it's caused her to hemorrhage. The baby has about a twenty to twenty-five percent chance of survival." This did it for Adam. The normally strong, solid man sunk against the wall, a steady flow of tears streaming down his cheeks.  
  
"Can...can I see her?" He asked. She nodded and Adam stood up, following her down the hallway. They stopped in front of room 425. The nurse opened the door, and Adam walked inside. When he saw Stacy laying motionless in the hospital, it broke his heart. Her eyes were closed...her face covered in bruises. She was hooked up to what must've been at least four different machines. An IV was taped to the back of her hand. Adam sat down in a chair that was beside the bed and took her hand in his.  
  
"Stacy..." He whispered to her. "I love you."  
  
----------  
  
Blood. Blood on his hands. On his shirt.  
  
Stacy's blood.  
  
Blood had seeped into her blonde hair when he threw her against the wall. Crimson blood staining her.  
  
Andrew laughed. The laugh of a madman. He looked at his hands. The red was shining in the lamplight of his hotel room. He couldn't stop staring at the blood on his hands.  
  
He was happy. Overjoyed, even. If he couldn't have her, no one could.  
  
"No one." He said outloud.  
  
He could only hope that she wouldn't walk out of that hospital.  
  
----------  
  
Adam stirred early the next morning. He had been at Stacy's side all night. He had dark bags under his eyes from his lack of sleep, but he was trying his best to be awake so that he could talk to her when she woke up. He looked at his watch.  
  
"Five thirty in the morning." He stated out loud, closing his eyes again.  
  
"Adam, what are you still doing awake?" Adam's eyes immediately snapped open. Stacy was awake! She was finally awake!  
  
"Stace, I've been so worried." Adam said, leaning down and kissing her forehead softly.  
  
"How long have I been here?" She asked.  
  
"Since about nine last night. What happened, Stace?" He asked her, taking her hands in his.  
  
"I went down to get that message...when I got down to the lobby there was no one at the counter, so I rang the little bell, and all of a sudden I was grabbed around the waist, dragged outside, and got the hell beat out of me." She told him.  
  
"Was it..." Adam began. Stacy nodded.  
  
"Andrew." She finished.  
  
"We're getting him this time, Stacy. He's not getting away with this." Adam vowed, looking into her brown eyes.  
  
"Adam...what about the baby?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Adam sighed and looked away. He knew that she'd eventually ask...he had just hoped that it wouldn't be this soon.  
  
"The nurse told me...that...when Andrew beat you...it caused you to hemorrhage...the baby has a twenty to twenty-five percent chance of survival." Adam told her, finally looking back at the petite blonde.  
  
She just stared at him, a look of disbelief on her face.  
  
"No..." She whispered. "Not my baby...not our baby..." Stacy began to sob quietly. Adam said nothing, and kissed her forehead soothingly. The door opened and Adam looked up. A doctor, followed by the nurse he had talked to the night before, walked in.  
  
"Glad to see you're finally awake, Ms. Keibler." The doctor said as he checked over her chart. "It seems that you are much, much better today." Stacy reached up and whiped her tears away before looking at the doctor.  
  
"How's my baby?" She asked.  
  
"Your baby is also doing better. Now, that said, it's not out of danger quite yet. But you staying calm, relaxing, and getting plenty of rest will help its chances greatly." Stacy nodded.  
  
"Doctor, is there any way we can press charges against the man who did this to Stacy?" Adam asked.  
  
""Stacy would have to identify him." The doctor said, nodding.  
  
"I can." Stacy said. "I know who did it."  
  
"We can get an detective in here to talk to you a little later today, alright?" He said. She and Adam nodded.  
  
"Thank you, doctor." Adam said as the doctor and the nurse walked out of the small hospital room. Stacy sighed and propped herself up on a few pillows.  
  
"Adam, I don't want to lose this baby. I know...I know that it's because of Andrew that I'm pregnant right now, but this isn't Andrew's baby...it's our baby. Mine and yours. You're going to be it's father, you're going to raise it..." Stacy said, looking at Adam. "I'm not giving up. This baby is going to make it." Determination was obvious in her voice. Adam just nodded.  
  
"Get some rest sweetheart...I'm going to call Chris, see if he wants to come by. I'll be back soon." Adam bent down and kissed Stacy's forehead before walking out of the room. Once he was out in the hallway, he flipped his cell phone open. It rang twice before Chris picked up.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey man." Adam said.  
  
"Adam, how are you? I heard about Stacy." Chris replied.  
  
"I'm okay.Stacy is doing better...she might lose the baby." Adam sat down and ran a hand through his long hair tiredly.  
  
"Do you want me to come down there?" Chris asked.  
  
"If it's not too much trouble, that would be great." Adam told him as he sat back.  
  
"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Chris said before hanging up. Adam closed his phone and walked down to the cafeteria, where he got a hot cup of coffee. He then returned to Stacy's room, where she was peacefully sleeping. Adam sat there, quietly sipping his coffee, until he heard a knock at the door. He walked over to it and opened it, hoping that it hadn't woken Stacy up. Both men stood by her bed, listening to the steady beep of one of the moniters hooked to the petite girl's body.  
  
"How is she?" Chris asked softly after a moment. Adam just continued to stare at his battered girlfriend.  
  
"She's better. There's a chance the baby will survive...we just don't know yet though." Adam sat down with a sigh. "Chris...I really don't want her to lose this baby. We were so excited to start our life together, to have this child."  
  
"I know. Just be positive. If Stacy rests enough this baby could make it." Chris said, sitting down in a chair near Adam.  
  
"There's a detective coming by later today." Adam said. "We're turning Andrew in." Chris nodded.  
  
"He has it coming to him."  
  
After a few minutes of silence, there was another knock at the hospital room door. Since Chris was closer to the door, he stood up and answered it. A detective was waiting at the door.  
  
"Come in." Chris said, stepping out of the way. The detective stepped into the room. Adam noticed a folder, a pad of paper and a pen in his hand.  
  
"Hello gentlemen, I'm Detective Williams. I recieved a call from Dr. Thorton earlier this afternoon. He told me that your girlfriend wants to report someone for abuse." He said, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Yes sir, she does." Adam replied.  
  
"Adam?" Stacy said groggily as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.  
  
"Hey sweetie." Adam walked over to her bed, sitting on the edge of it carefully. Stacy moved back into his arms, snuggling against the tall man.  
  
"The detective is here. Are you ready to tell him about Andrew?" Adam asked. Stacy nodded.  
  
"Alright." Detective Williams said, sitting down across from the couple. "Do you know this man personally?"  
  
"Yes." Stacy nodded. "His name is Andrew Martin, known as Test in the WWE. He and I dated for nearly a year."  
  
"Was this the first time he physically abused you?" Detective Williams asked, writing in the small pad of paper he had with him.  
  
"No. Before this time, he hit me every night for about a week, and one night he got carried away and raped me." Adam knew how difficult this had to be for Stacy. He tightened his grip around her waist comfortingly, rocking her back and forth.  
  
"Is this how your pregnancy came about?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
The detective nodded and wrote on his pad some more. He then picked his folder up.  
  
"I'd like you to look at these pictures and identify him, just for police records." Stacy flipped through the few pages of pictures until stopping on one.  
  
"That's him." She pointed to the picture. Detective Williams nodded and closed the book.  
  
"Thank you, Ms. Keibler. We'll be contacting you soon with an update of the case." Detective Williams stood up and walked out of the room. Chris had long since left, saying that he was going out to pick up some food and that he would be back later.  
  
"Wow..." Stacy said, leaning in even closer to Adam. "That was harder than I thought."  
  
"I know, but you did great, baby. Think, Andrew will be gone for good soon." Adam smiled. Stacy turned to face him and returned the smile.  
  
"Yeah, you're right."  
  
Adam leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.  
  
"I love you, Stacy." He told her, looking into her brown eyes. She brought a small hand up and brushed her fingertips down his cheek.  
  
"I love you too, Adam." She whispered.  
  
---------- 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: Same as always! :)  
  
----------  
  
Chapter Six  
  
----------  
  
Adam just looked at Stacy with wide eyes. She smiled at him, her fingers still absentmindedly trailing down his cheek.  
  
"Stace..." Adam said, hugging the small girl close to him. "You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear you say that."  
  
Stacy wrapped her arms around his neck and stayed close to him. He was still lightly rocking her back and forth, and the silence that filled the room was a comfortable one.  
  
"I really mean it, Adam." Stacy whispered into his soft hair after a moment. "I love you so much. You really showed me what it was like to be loved. You took me away from the most painful thing I've ever experienced. You've stayed by me through all of this crap that's going on now."  
  
"Stacy, I stay beside you because I love you. The night I got you from Andrew's hotel room...I thought I was going to kill him. I really did." Adam said, looking into her eyes. She smiled up at him.  
  
"I love you more than anything in this world," He went on. He got up and reached into the bag that was lying on the bedside table and pulled something out. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He sat back down beside her and opened his hand. Inside of it was a black velvet box. He popped it open, and nestled inside of the soft fabric, was an engagement ring. "Marry me?"  
  
"Oh my God...Adam," Stacy choked out, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, yes, of course." Adam pulled out of her hug and kissed her on the lips, a soft, romantic kiss. After they broke the kiss, he took the ring and slipped it on her finger. She looked at it, admiring its beauty. It was a platinum band with three diamonds in it; but they were no ordinary diamonds. There was a larger one in the middle with two smaller ones on either side of it, and all three diamonds where light pink in color.  
  
"It's so beautiful." She said, still admiring the ring.  
  
"I had to get the most beautiful ring for the most beautiful girl." Adam said, placing another soft kiss on her lips.  
  
"Ms. Keibler, it's time we check you again." Adam and Stacy broke the kiss and looked up, seeing the nurse and Dr. Thorton. Neither of them had even heard the door open.  
  
"Alright." Stacy said as Adam stood up and walked back over to the chair that he had been sitting in. Dr. Thorton looked over all of her injuries while the nurse went and retrieved an ultrasound machine. Once she returned, the doctor pulled Stacy's hospital gown up, exposing her stomach. He applied a clear gel to her stomach, then began to look over it, checking her internal injuries.  
  
"You are doing much, much better, Stacy." Dr. Thorton said with a smile. "Your baby is looking fine. I'd say that it's chances are now up to at least fifty percent."  
  
"Thank you so much doctor, that's wonderful news." Dr. Thorton nodded and cleaned her stomach off before walking out of the room, the nurse wheeling the ultrasound machine behind him.  
  
"Adam!" Stacy cried happily after they were gone. "Our baby is going to make it! I just know it will!"  
  
----------  
  
Stacy was released from the hospital the next day. She had strict orders from Dr. Thorton to fly straight home and do nothing but rest for two weeks. He had already called ahead and made Stacy an appointment with her normal doctor. It was around eleven at night when Adam and Stacy arrived at their Tampa home.  
  
"Adam!" Stacy laughed as her fiancee scooped her into his arms after he had shut the front door. He grinned and carried her up the stairs.  
  
"Close your eyes. I have a surprise for you. And no peaking!" He told her as they stopped in front of their closed bedroom door. She sighed playfully before covering her eyes with her hands.  
  
Chris had flown home the day before. Adam had given him one of his extra house keys while Stacy was sleeping, having planned this out since she got into the hospital. He had Chris and Stephanie, who had flown down to be with Chris for the week, to go into his house during the afternoon before he and Stacy got home that night and fix it up romantically, just as a nice surprise for her. He opened the door and looked inside.  
  
There were tiny, white, glowing candles spread all about the room. Their bed had been made with black silk sheets. Light pink and red rose petals were spread over the entire bed, beautifully meshing with the sheets. Adam figured that they had burned a stick or two of incense before they had gotten there too, because the room faintly smelled of strawberrys, which he knew was Stacy's favorite.  
  
"Alright." He said, inching her forward into the room. "Open your eyes."  
  
He watched as Stacy slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, shock evident on her face.  
  
"It's gorgeous." She whispered, walking inside. Adam walked up behind her, circling her waist with his arms.  
  
"You're gorgeous. I love you." He whispered into her ear. She tunred around and wrapped her arms around his neck as he bent down, capturing her lips with his.  
  
"I love you too." She said once their kiss was broken.  
  
Adam smiled at her as she sat down on the rose-petal covered bed. He sat down beside her, turning down the sheets.  
  
"Now get in here." Adam grinned. "You need your rest."  
  
Stacy smiled and walked over to her suitcase. "I'm at least putting on pajamas first." She grabbed a few articles of clothing and walked into their bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later, wearing a white tank top and short black shorts. Adam smiled at her and she returned it as she walked over to the bed. Adam was already laying underneath the thin black sheets, pillows propped up behind his back against the head board. Stacy returned the smile as she walked over to the bed. Adam turned the covers down, allowing her to get in and snuggle up beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. Adam held her close to him as she drifted off to sleep.  
  
----------  
  
"Scott," Andrew said, walking over to his muscular friend. "She's gone. She's out."  
  
"How the hell'd she get out?" Scott replied gruffly as he took a gulp of water out of the open bottle in his hand.  
  
"Well, I'm guessing she got better." Andrew snapped.  
  
"Go after her again."  
  
"And get my ass arrested?"  
  
"You can go after her again or let Copeland win. It's up to you."  
  
"Dammit!" In a flash, Andrew had punched the wall. Scott looked at him in surprise as he cradled his bleeding knuckles.  
  
"Copeland isn't going to win."  
  
----------  
  
The next morning, Adam woke up with Stacy still in his arms. He smiled at the petite blonde as she turned her head in her sleep.  
  
"My baby..." She murmured in her sleep, twisting around again, clinging to Adam. "Don't let him take my baby..."  
  
'She's sleeptalking.' Adam thought, watching her.  
  
"Don't let him take the baby away from us..."  
  
'She must be dreaming about Andrew.' Adam said, and shook her lightly, deciding to wake her up from it.  
  
Her eyes snapped open in a flash and she looked at him with fright.  
  
"Adam, it's you." Stacy whispered, sitting up. She threw her amrs around his neck. "I had a dream about Andrew. I had the baby and he took her away." Her voice was cracking with every word, and before he knew it, Adam felt a dampness on his shoulder.  
  
"Honey..." He said, scooping her up into his arms. He held her close to him and let her cry into his chest.  
  
"What if he comes back and gets her?" Stacy asked.  
  
"I would never, ever let that happen. I promise you, Stacy, that I will protect you and the baby until the day that I die."  
  
Stacy flashed him a small smile as she brushed away her last remaining tears. "I think it's a girl." She said. "It was a girl in my dream. A beautiful little baby girl. She's going to have my hair, and your eyes and smile."  
  
"She'll be beautiful. Just like her mother." Adam smiled, nuzzling her neck. Stacy giggled and placed a gentle peck on his lips once he looked up.  
  
"I love you, Adam." Stacy whispered, resting her forehead against Adam's.  
  
"I love you too." Adam smiled with content as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.  
  
----------  
  
"He proposed!" Stacy squealed into the phone.  
  
"That's awesome, girl!" Amy replied. "When is it?"  
  
"I dunno. We're going to see a wedding planner today."  
  
"Awesome. I better go though, I have to shoot a promo with Trish in a little bit."  
  
"Alright chick, I'll talk to you later." Stacy said before hanging up. She threw her phone on the bed beside her and lay down, her arms spread out around her. Smiling, she closed her eyes.  
  
"Baby?" Adam said, walking into the room.  
  
"Mm?" Came Stacy's mumbled reply.  
  
"What time is the appointment today?"  
  
"Three." Stacy said, sitting up. She looked at Adam and he smiled.  
  
"I never thought that this would happen. I thought you'd be with Andrew forever." He told her, sitting on the bed beside her.  
  
"Andrew will forever be in my past." Stacy said, running a hand through her light blonde locks. "Hopefully he'll be in jail until he's too old to hit another woman."  
  
"Vince will fire him. I'm sure of it." Adam nodded.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Don't worry, honey. You'll never have to be around him again."  
  
Stacy nodded and Adam wrapped his arms around her. He kissed the back of her neck lightly, making her giggle.  
  
"See, there's the laugh that I love so much." Adam smiled into her hair. Stacy smiled and turned around, pressing her lips to his.  
  
"We better go. The planner will be expecting us soon."  
  
"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Keibler, Mr. Copeland." A woman by the name of Christine DeVoir stuck her hand out. She was dressed in a prim pinstriped pantsuit and her salt and pepper hair was neatly bobbed. Adam stuck his hand out and shook hers.  
  
"You too, Mrs. DeVoir." Stacy said, smiling pleasently at the older woman.  
  
"I understand that you two are looking forward to a fall wedding."  
  
"This fall, if it's possible." Adam said. Stacy smiled once more, her hand absentmindedly rubbing her already slightly swollen stomach.  
  
"It should be no problem. Now, do you want a big or small wedding?"  
  
"It'll be about medium sized. Close friends and family, and the McMahon family, of course."  
  
"The McMahons? I believe I've heard of them." Christine said, tapping her manicured nails on the desk in front of her.  
  
"They own the WWE. We're both wrestlers in the company."  
  
"Yes, yes. My youngest son is a big fan of the WWE." Christine smiled pleasently.  
  
"We were thinking of an outdoor wedding." Stacy piped up, deciding to return the conversation to the wedding.  
  
"Alright..." Christine said, jotting things down every once in a while. They talked to the planner for almost another hour, then headed through a drive-thru to get a late lunch, and finally, they returned home.  
  
"This is going to be a beautiful wedding." Stacy smiled.  
  
"Of course. Anything you want. Anything for you." Adam said, kissing her forehead.  
  
"All I need is you. You and our baby and I'll be set." Stacy softly murmured in reply. Adam just held onto her, rocking her back and forth slightly.  
  
"I love you." He whispered.  
  
"I love you too."

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A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update, guys! School's been crazy so far. I'll try to have chapter 7 out soon! And thank you so much to all of my reviewers!


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: Same as always! :)

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Chapter Seven

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November 20th

Finally, the day had arrived. Stacy smiled nervously at herself, her reflection gazing back at her in the dressing room mirror. Her long, honey colored hair hung in soft curls around her shoulders. A thin veil was pinned to the tiara that adorned her head. She had yet to place the veil in front of her face. Her makeup was done lightly but beautifully; pale pink eyeshadow, silver eyeliner, and clear lip gloss. Her dress was by far the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was strapless and flowed, the train trailing a half foot behind her. It was white silk, with elaborate beadwork around the bodice. She was lucky to have it altered to fit around her now fairly large swollen stomach and it still look amazing on her. She wore no shoes.

"Stace," Torrie said, walking into the room. She also looked beautiful in her ocean blue Maid of Honor's gown. She had tiny sprigs of baby's breath in her hair, that was pinned in tiny ringlets atop her head. "The ceremony begins in ten minutes. It's time to get out there."

"Alright." Stacy smiled. She took a deep breath and moved the veil over her face.

"You look so beautiful." Torrie smiled, linking her arm with Stacy's as they walked to where all of the other bridesmaids and Stacy's father were. As soon as she arrived, Torrie linked arms with Christian as they walked down the aisle, the Maid of Honor and the Best Man. Next was Amy, and Stacy smiled at the redhead as she and Chris Irvine trekked down the aisle. Lisa Marie and Jeff were next, and last was Trish and Dave Batista.

Finally, the wedding march began to play. Stacy interlinked her arm with her fathers and they began to slowly walk down the aisle. Stacy smiled widely as she met Adam's eyes. They were the only people in the room. Adam's smile was full of such happiness as he looked at his future wife. He couldn't help it as his eyes filled with tears as he watched her come nearer and nearer. As Stacy watched him, she didn't even notice the tears in her brown eyes spilling over onto her cheeks. When Stacy and her father reached Adam at the altar, her father lifted her veil. brushed her tears away, and kissed her once on each cheek.

"I love you, sweetheart." Her father told her.

"I love you too, Daddy." Stacy smiled, hugging her father, before turning back towards the priest. He began to speak, but Stacy could barely hear a word he was saying. Natural ecstacy was coursing through the blonde's veins, pure joy at the thought of soon becoming Mrs. Adam Copeland.

Stacy barely heard a word that was spoken during the ceremony, just her cues to say 'I do.' Finally, after much anticipation on the parts of both the groom and the lady, Stacy Keibler became Mrs. Stacy Copeland. Tears of happiness streaked down her cheeks as Adam leaned in, giving her the first sweet, loving kiss they shared as man and wife.

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"Adam," Stacy whispered in her husband's ear. "Our wedding was beautiful. Thank you."

Adam opened his sleepy eyes from the hotel room bed. He and Stacy had flown to the Caribbean after the wedding, and it was now very late at night.

"For what, sweetheart?" Adam asked, wrapping his arms around his beautiful bride.

"For loving me. For showing me what real love is." She smiled, snuggling in close to Adam. He returned the smile, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, baby." He said. Stacy smiled.

"I love you too." She said before yawning. The two then drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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Adam woke up early the next morning. Sunlight was streaming through the window, and the bathroom door was closed. The pleasent sounds of heaving could be heard from inside.

"Baby?" He said softly, knocking on the door. There was no answer. "Stace?" He knocked louder. Still no answer. He twisted the doorknob and walked in. He saw his wife resting her head on her arms on the toilet lid.

"Are you alright, sweetheart?" Adam asked, kneeling down beside his wife. He noticed a trickle of blood trailing from the corner of her mouth.

"Something's wrong, Adam. Something's wrong." She began to cry. Adam scooped her up, carrying her into the main part of the room.

"What's wrong? Stacy, please talk to me..." Adam said, rocking her back and forth slightly.

"The baby, something's wrong with the baby...I need to go to the hospital." Stacy was becoming weaker and weaker as she spoke. Adam quickly dialed a number on the phone, and demanded that an ambulance be there as quickly as possible. No more than ten minutes later, two men with a stretcher entered the hotel room. They loaded Stacy onto it, and as Adam took her hand, she passed out.

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When Stacy woke up, she had more needles in her and more wires attached to her then she had ever had before. Adam was sitting at bedside, his green eyes peeled wide open. He snapped to attention when he felt Stacy stirring.

"Baby...you're awake," He said, his voice cracking. "The doctor's said they were afraid you were going to slip into a coma...you've suffered such bad internal injuries..."

"What? But...how?" Stacy asked.

Adam shook his head. "From Andrew...the doctor who checked you out said that the other hospital released you too early last time...you weren't out of the danger zone yet...and something triggered another bout of hemorrhaging. It caused so much strain on all of your other organs, the doctors thought your body was going to shut down to try to keep the baby alive..." Adam's voice was now wavering horribly, and a single tear slipped down his cheek.

"Is the baby dead?" Stacy whispered. Adam shook his head once more.

"No...but she has a very low chance of survival..." Adam cried. "It's a baby girl, Stacy...they did an ultrasound...it's a girl...our baby girl..." He couldn't stop the sobs from racking his body. Tears also began steadily flowing down her cheeks. "I hate that bastard! He's tried to take away everything I love and care about!"

"Adam...shh...baby, it's alright...we're going to be okay...the doctors...they can do something for the baby...she'll be okay..." Stacy told him. He couldn't stop his tears, and Stacy scooted over in her bed.

"Come here, sweetheart." She patted the bed next to her. He climbed into it and held her as they both cried.

"I can't lose you, Stacy...I can't bare to lose you...You're my everything..." Adam whispered as he rocked her back and forth. "I love you so much..."

"I love you too, Adam, so much..." Stacy whispered back. The two sat in silence as their tears dried up.

"I'll do everything I can to make this better, baby. This baby is going to make it. She's going to be okay." Stacy said, before leaning in and giving Adam a small, but sweet kiss on the lips.

The doctor came in about twenty minutes later. "Mrs. Copeland," He said, looking at the couple, then down at her charts. "You've suffered severe hemorrhaging. Though I'm sure your husband has told you everything."

"Yes, doctor."

"We're going to try everything in our power to save this baby."

Stacy looked up at the doctor. "I know, doctor. But I know she's going to be okay...I know in my heart that she will be." 


End file.
